Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

garnish

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of garnish

something that decorates or beautifies
  • added a garnish of parsley to the plate before serving it
Synonyms of garnish

adornment, beautifier, caparison, decoration, doodad, embellisher, embellishment, frill, garnishment, garniture, ornament, ornamentation, setoff, trim
Words Related to garnish

apparel, bells and whistles, blazonry, bric-a-brac, chichi, emblazonry, filigree, finery, foofaraw, frippery, frosting, froufrou

fal-lal, flounce, flourish, furbelow, ruffle

enhancement, enrichment, improvement

appliqué, embossment, embroidery, fancywork

bedizenment, gilt, glitter

design, figure, pattern

furnishings, regalia, trappings
Near Antonyms of garnish

blemish, defacement, disfigurement, scar

blot, spot, stain

garnish

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of garnish

to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming
  • a chef who never served any dish without first garnishing it
Synonyms of garnish

adorn, array, beautify, bedeck, bedizen, blazon, caparison, deck, decorate, do, do up, doll up, drape, dress, embellish, emblaze, emboss, enrich, fancify, fancy up, festoon, glitz (up), grace, gussy up, ornament, pretty (up), trim
Words Related to garnish

accessorize, dress up, trap, trick (out)

brighten, freshen, smarten, spruce (up)

boss, chase

braid, embroider, feather, figure, filigree, fillet, flounce, frill, fringe, furbelow, garland, hang, lace, ribbon, swag, wreathe

appliqué, gild, paint

diamond, gem, impearl, jewel, pearl

redecorate, redo
Near Antonyms of garnish

simplify, streamline

bare, denude, dismantle, display, divest, expose, reveal, strip, uncover

uglify
Antonyms of garnish

blemish, deface, disfigure, mar, scar, spoil

Synonym Discussion of garnish

adorn, decorate, ornament, embellish, beautify, deck, garnish mean to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential. adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.
    • a diamond necklace adorned her neck
decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.
    • decorate a birthday cake
ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original
    • a white house ornamented with green shutters
, embellish often stressing the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.
    • embellish a page with floral borders
beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.
    • will beautify the grounds with flower beds
deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.
    • a house all decked out for Christmas
garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.
    • an entrée garnished with parsley

Learn More about garnish

  1. See words that rhyme with garnish Dictionary: Definition of garnish Spanish Central: Translation of garnish Nglish: Translation of garnish for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of garnish for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about garnish

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up garnish? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

obsequious

marked by fawning attentiveness

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. crosshair Roger Stone posts controversial photo

  2. feckless Former RNC chair derides Trump

  3. emergency, national emergency Trump declares crisis over wall

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games